The priests of the Grand Temple moved Yuphe from the collapsed residence to another building.
“No one should be allowed in until the ritual is complete.”
After sending everyone except Helasio outside, Johannes locked the door of the room.
Jella paced the corridor restlessly.
“Yupheon Arne will be fine.”
Jella looked up at the warmth that settled on her shoulder.
“He’s the man who killed a god. You know he’s not such a weak man.”
A man with platinum blonde hair and light green eyes that elegantly reflected the moonlight was draping his large black coat over her shoulders. It was Niel.
After sending a letter to Cain, Niel had departed immediately, but arrived late because the portal connecting the imperial palace and the Grand Temple had malfunctioned.
No matter that he was the Emperor of the empire, it was impossible to enter the Grand Temple with soldiers.
So while arguing with the priests at the entrance, everyone froze at the flashing light and loud explosion from the direction of the Pope’s residence, and taking advantage of that moment, he was able to push his way into the Grand Temple.
However, by the time he arrived at the collapsed residence and found Jella, everything was already over.
Only Jella, disheveled as if she had been in a fierce battle, and Yupheon, lying with his chest torn open like a corpse, remained.
In truth, he thought that whether that man lived or died was none of his concern, but seeing how sad she was made his heart sink.
Niel looked at her face for a moment and suggested:
“Your eyes look tired, too. Would you like to go out for some fresh air?”
“No, I…”
Just as Jella was about to say she would wait here for Yuphe to wake up.
“You haven’t rested at all, have you?”
“…Alright.”
Jella slowly nodded. She had many questions for him as well.
Niel held out his hand to her.
Just like back then, when he stood by her side as her fiancé, escorting her as a matter of course.
Jella stared at that hand for a moment before placing her own on top of it.
The two walked outside together.
The cool night air brushed past them.
“What happened to the god?”
“…”
Jella looked up at him briefly.
“The god that was clinging to your mind.”
“How do you know about that?”
“You never told me anything, but…”
Niel slowly stopped walking and reached out toward her.
“I know everything about you.”
With a languid smile on his lips, he gently caressed her earlobe. It was where his lips had touched just hours ago.
“I know all about you that you don’t know yourself, and I remember all your moments that even you have lost.”
“…”
A brief wind cut between the two of them.
After staring at his face for a moment, Jella answered quietly.
“It’s gone. Completely.”
“That’s good.”
Niel nodded as if he had expected that, then asked:
“Cain Aleret. Did he come by?”
“How did you know that, too?”
“He must have helped you, and the fact that he’s not visible… I suppose he got scared of something and ran away to hide by himself.”
“You said you know everything, and truly, there’s nothing you don’t know.”
A hollow laugh escaped her. Jella glanced at his hand that was playing with her soft earlobe after passing over the shell of her ear, then abruptly asked:
“You said you crossed dimensions.”
“Yes.”
Niel nodded calmly.
“And you’re the one who brought this body… Kim Ga-eul’s body.”
“That’s right.”
“But to cross dimensions, you need an object from that world.”
Jella recalled the method of crossing dimensions that Yuria had told her before leaving.
“So if I cross that passage, can I go to the dimension where you were?”
“No. Since I’m originally from that world, I can cross over as soon as I find a dimensional passage, but generally, no. There are two things you absolutely need to cross dimensions.”
“What are they?”
“An enormous amount of life force and an object from the dimension you want to cross to.”
“Tsk. I guess crossing dimensions wouldn’t be that easy.”
She remembered pouting in disappointment at Yuria’s explanation.
“How on earth did you do it?”
“…I had it. An object from another dimension.”
Seeing him answer with a slight delay, Jella suddenly had an absurd thought.
“Don’t tell me.”
“Yes, exactly what you’re thinking.”
“Then your approaching Yuria was also.”
“Yes, that too, exactly what you’re thinking.”
Niel answered as if he had read her mind exactly. Jella’s expression hardened.
The air surrounding the two grew heavier.
After a brief silence, Jella asked with an incomprehensible face.
So Niel had approached Yuria to find a way to cross dimensions, and had stolen an object from her to cross dimensions and bring Kim Ga-eul’s body.
“But… why?”
“Because I knew you were going to die.”
Niel answered, rubbing his tired eyes with a somewhat exhausted face.
“She told me. It wasn’t difficult to extract the information.”
“You thought I was going to die just because of what Yuria said?”
“I had no choice but to believe it. Weren’t you constantly thinking about what would happen after your death?”
Looking intently into Jella’s slightly trembling eyes, Niel spoke in a dry voice without a hint of humor.
“You never looked back at me for even a moment, but I was always looking only at you.”
“…”
“My initial goal was to take your soul and run away. To abandon this world where you were destined to die, and cross dimensions to a very distant place.”
“…”
“That’s why I organized the rebels. I was planning to start a civil war. Because opening a dimension requires sacrificing numerous lives.”
“What…?”
A bitter smile bloomed on his lips at her startled reaction.
“Why? Do you find me unethical and terrible?”
“…”
“I like you, Jella. I confessed these feelings long ago. It was you who dismissed and trampled on a ten-year-old boy’s puppy love as mere flattery.”
“…”
Seeing her unable to give any answer, a sudden surge of hot emotion welled up.
“Look at this. You don’t even remember.”
He sneered with an uncharacteristically crooked tone.
“Was it horrifying when you came to your senses? Kissing a man you don’t even like.”
“…”
“Isn’t it disgusting and nauseating to know that a man you don’t even like has liked you for a long time, and even tried to sacrifice innocent people in the name of helping you?”
“…”
After silently staring at him, Jella slowly opened her lips.
“Why are you talking like that?”
Pause. The sneer on Niel’s face disappeared all at once.
“Why are you hurting yourself like that?”
A hint of sadness could be felt in her calm voice.
“When you talk like that, it hurts you too much.”
“…”
Niel stared blankly at her for a moment, then covered his eyes with one hand, tilted his head back, and burst into laughter.
Hahaha!
The cold laughter echoed through the night air.
Ahahahaha!
After laughing for a while, he lowered his hand and faced her again.
“This is why I liked you, and also disliked you.”
He said with a voice tinged with tears.
“Why are you so kind when you have no intention of taking responsibility?”
The young princess, whom everyone called tyrannical, was actually a kind person.
The young lord of Alpenhayer used to secretly feel proud that only he recognized her kindness.
But it took only a moment for pride to turn into resentment.
There was no responsibility in her kindness that she scattered to everyone.
The young lord was always sad about that fact.
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Bluegvibes
Who is endgame? I have to knoww! Tbh I’m bais towards Cain. He never once betrayed her no matter the circumstances, and when she was in an unconscious state seducing the MLs, Cain never touched her inappropriately. Cain’s avoidant and yet clingy personality is so my type